Late Summer Abundance Bowl

I have a serious shopping addiction. But it’s not for clothes, or house wares, or even kitchen tools.
No.
It’s for health food.

Although I am incredibly excited to go back to Canada every summer to see my family and friends, the other thing I unapologetically look forward to the most, is browsing the aisles of the natural foods co-op. Oh, I could spend hours upon hours wandering around, checking out what’s new and exciting in the world of loose leaf teas, gluten-free bread, vegan ice cream, and sampling the latest nut butters. Did you know they now sell dehydrated kombucha scobies in bulk? Omigod, reeeally? So yea. I have a problem and I’m not afraid to admit it.

This year I found something very thrilling, and that was sorghum. I had heard of it before, but only in relation to the syrup that is made from the plant. I didn’t know that the plant also produced a cereal! Omigod, reeeally? The silliest things light my fire. I guess you know this by now.

Anyway. Sorghum. It’s gluten-free, high in fiber and rich in iron and the B-vitamins. Sorghum is also very high in protein (more than quinoa!), yet it lacks lysine, an essential amino acid, so combining it with something that contains this amino acid is important. I chose chickpeas in this case so that we can cover our bases, and indeed make a perfect protein.

Sorghum originates from Africa, then traveled through the Middle East and Asia along ancient trade routes and the Silk Road. Today sorghum is a staple food in India and Africa, but did you know it is the third most important cereal crop grown in America? Insanity!

Sorghum is very similar to millet in its nuttiness and dry quality. For this reason, it is perfect for cold salads and pilafs as the grains don’t stick together. Like millet, this grain requires a lot of water for cooking too, at a 3:1 ratio. Although there was no mention of soaking the sorghum prior to cooking, I found that cooking it straight from dried took a very long time (more than one hour) and even required more water than suggested. When I cooked it again after soaking it overnight, the sorghum cooked a little faster (about 45 minutes) but still took almost 3 cups of water to reach the desired tenderness.

You can find sorghum (obviously) at health food stores and gourmet grocers. I suspect that it will get more attention in the coming years as words of its awesomeness spreads, so be on the lookout. You heard it here first.

As summer wanes, we begin to see the gorgeous produce burst forth from all the warm temperatures and soft rains. It’s a beautiful time of year because it’s the season when almost everything is in season! Tomatoes and cucumbers are at their best, fully ripe and juicy and sweet. My late summer abundance bowl celebrates all of this, with an Indian twist honoring the traditional Indian grain, sorghum. I played around with it quite a lot and eventually settled on using curry and coconut as base flavours, then combined with a kachumber salad and chickpeas. The cilantro, cumin seeds and citrus are bright and playful against the rich coconut-y vibes. You will love it.

Directions:
1. Rinse sorghum well, then place in a pot, cover with a few inches / centimeters of water (recently boiled is best) and add the vinegar. Stir. Let sit overnight (or for 8 hours). Drain rinse and add to a pot with 2 ½ cups of water, all spices, lemon, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 45-60 minutes. The sorghum is cooked when it is chewy and tender. If there is any crunch left in the grain after the water has been absorbed, add an extra half-cup (125ml) of water and simmer until the grains are tender.
2. Take sorghum off of the stove, remove the lemon and whole spices if possible (you can leave the peppercorns however). Pour in the coconut milk and fold to combine. The hot sorghum will absorb the coconut milk as it cools.

Directions:
1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant (be careful not to burn them!).
2. Cut the tomatoes into whatever shapes you like, according to the size of the fruit (the larger Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes I left in generous, thick slices). Place in a large bowl. Add the sliced cucumber, chopped cilantro and chili.
3. Whisk the olive oil, lime juice and salt together. Pour over the tomatoes and cucumber and fold gently to combine. Sprinkle with cumin seeds and serve.

To Assemble:
Coconut Curry Sorghum
Kachumber Salad
Chickpeas

1. Place sorghum, salad and chickpeas in a bowl. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and extra cilantro if desired. Serve and enjoy.

* * * * * *

Great news everyone!Registration is now open for the cooking classes, lectures, and other events taking place next month in Amsterdam. I am so pumped to finally be teaching breakfast classes! Hoorah! My fav meal of the day plus tasty snacks – what could be better? Nothin’.
I will also be presenting 2 different lectures, giving a (free!) Q&A session at the America Book Center, and hosting a collaborative dinner at the world-renowned restaurant, De Kas.

I am over the moon to be touring, teaching, and above all, connecting with you in person once again.

Please visit Healthy Happy to learn more about all the events and book your space today. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Hi Alyssa, I know I’m responding to your comment about 2 years after you made it, but I have recently discovered that it’s relatively easy just to make coconut milk myself! Like, from nothing but coconut! It’s my new obsession, so I’m happy to spread the joy–even if you have maybe figured it out for yourself in the intervening years. There’s a fair number of tutorials if you just google it, but the gist is this: take coconut flesh (either from a mature coconut or from a bag of coconut flakes) and soak it in water (more water=less thick milk). Pour water/coconut mix into blender/food processor and let it buzz for a few minutes. Then strain, most easily with the use of a nut-milk bag. And you’re done! But without that guar gum it will separate, so it’s best to use it more or less right away.

I’m new to your site and I am LOVING it! The recipes, photos and writing are all wonderful. Glad I found you! And I agree, sorghum is lesser known in grain form. Hopefully it will gain some footing soon. You can also pop it like popcorn!

Hi Sarah,
It is so nice to see the grain. It brings me some good memories about these grains.
My grandma & mom used to soak sorghum with lentils overnight and make some kind of savory pancakes and we also make a spicy Chutney to go with the Pancakes. Yummmmmm. Thanks for Inspiration.

Thank you to Sarah for talking about sorghum, I love it (the flour) and the grain, but I do not know as much about using the grain. I had tried cooking and noticed as you said, it takes very long time to cook, I have not tried soaking first. Wondering why you add vinegar to the soaking water?

I have a health food store addiction too! I never get a carrier when I go in because I think I just want to pick up tahini, loose leaf teas, and one or two things and then I need more than a basket by the time I am leaving! Sorghum- this looks interesting, and beauty pics, thank you.

Hi Sarah! I want to try this on Wednesday but I am afraid I also have a problem with quinoa. What is a grain that I can substitute the sorghum before and still make the curry recipe? I am excited to hear about your new book!! Lena in Nashville TN

This looks like another another amazing recipe, and I will definitely be trying it soon!

Thank you for so many wonderful recipes and the educational piece that you always provide. On that note, as a newbie-mostly-vegetarian. I would love to know of some resources that take a deeper look at complimentary food items to make a complete protein at meals (i.e. lysine-deficient sorghum combined with chickpeas). Any information or resources you could provide would be so greatly appreciated.

I don’t know if one is out there (I’d assume somewhere), but it would be great if there was a readily available resource that provided a rather comprehensive list of specific complimentary foods beyond the oversimplified rice and beans answer.

Thanks again, and please keep doing what you’re doing. The information you provide in your posts is such a value, and your ingredient combinations and resultant recipes bring new meaning to the word synergy.

I absolutely love your blog! I have just recently tried to make all my meals at home and turn the food into healthier meals as well. I have a blog
: KellyFoundaKitchen.wordpress.com if you would like to visit and get any ideas!

Hi Sarah, I have been trying to find sorghum here in Lisbon (Portugal) because it combines greatly with teff and I am beginning to experiment with this kind of flour. Sorghum here is only produced for cattle… Maybe something will change in a near future.
Have you tried teff (gluten free and perfect for diabetic)?
I love your work, thank you for sharing, I have learned a lot.

Hi Sarah, I have been trying to find sorghum here in Lisbon (Portugal) because it combines greatly with teff and I am beginning to experiment with this kind of flour. Sorghum here is only produced for cattle… Maybe something will change in a near future.
Have you tryed teff (guten free and perfect for diabetic)?

I share your shopping addiction! My family has recently begun to learn that it’s only safe to take me to health food stores when they have a considerable amount of time to waste! 🙂
I’ve had sorghum flour before, but never tried it in its whole form so I’m excited to get my hands on some and give this abundance bowl a shot! It looks sooo delicious!!

I think I share that addiction with you haha! My cabinet has so many grains and flours, I do not know where to start when i cook. I can’t get through them fast enough. Sorghum has been on my list to try though. This looks wonderful, and I love making bowls.They are great for me as an athlete to fuel up with all the things my body needs to recover! Thanks for sharing. Please consider joining my meatless monday linkup on mondays with your recipes. They would be wonderful for sharing the word that meat free can be delicious 🙂

I’ve lived in places that have grown sorghum, but have never had it. I know my local health food store carries sorghum flour, but I don’t think they carry the whole grain. Back to special ordering. Thanks for the new recipe!

Oh, these colors. Late summer is soooo my favorite ever. But nobody here has heard from sorghum yet, so I guess I’m going to have to be patient. Everybody and their grandmother finally hopped on the freekeh bandwagon, and indeed…I heard it here first. So, I will wait. Or…no. No! I want these colors and flavors on my plate tonight! Millet it is, then. (And as for the courses in Amsterdam- you will be seeing a lot of me. Be prepared 😉 Can’t wait! xo)

I have the same addiction as you! I was living in Korea for the past few years and I literally had dreams about browsing co-op isles. I love grocery shopping; I’ll take a pair of juice heirloom tomatoes over a pair of new shoes any day!

Are you still enjoying Amsterdam? I would love to visit there one day!

I used to love quinoa but can no longer eat it because it gives me terrible stomach cramping (even after well-rinsing.) I’ve come across some literature that this is likely due to the saponin in the outer layer. I have a similar reaction to amaranth.

I can eat all other grains/seeds with no problem including millet. Might I have a similar reaction to sorghum as quinoa?

Would love to try the recipe! Just not sure how cautiously to proceed.

Yes, your stomach issues are likely due to the saponins, and unfortunately, sorghum is rather rich in these compounds. Try soaking overnight and rinsing thoroughly to remove them…if you still have issues, you may need to stick to other grains, such as kaniwa, millet etc.

I am intrigued by sorghum. Thing is, I’ve heard so much about it but never actually got around to buy it.
Well, this might be it then. I’m going to make this amazing coconut curry sorghum this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration!